Which family would that be, exactly? The family in which one was raised (parents & siblings), or the family one lives with as an adult (spouse & children), or are you asking for a medical history of biological family members (some people want to include aunts/uncles/nieces/nephews/cousins when there are significant issues, and some people say that's too far removed), grandparents...?

Regardless of how you interpret "family," isn't that information already on the paperwork, and so not really a necessary question?

You are right about the forms, BTW. Most folks handwriting is just awful, older people are slower than dirt at writing stuff, and people "read" questions but don't *read* them. Allergies to drugs (real allergies) are the most overlooked.

You don't use those damn history forms?! You take the history YOURSELF?! Okay, now I'm floored. Wherever it was that you learned this technique--be it at your medical school or your residency--that's where I want to go to learn medicine, so you'll have to tell me where to apply. And where to find others like you.

(Especially because the next doctor that makes me fill out a 20 page form only to have his nurse ask me all the same questions and then ask me the same questions himself is going to get a swift kick in the 'nads.)

Welcome to my whining!

This blog is entirely for entertainment purposes. All posts about patients may be fictional, or be my experience, or were submitted by a reader, or any combination of the above. Factual statements may or may not be accurate.

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